Variations, Placentas, and Cords

Yes, as you have probably guessed, I love placentas, cords, and all of the things about pregnancy and birth that most people will think are a little 'icky'. Just like with birth though, every cord and placenta carries their own characteristics and variations. Since I handle a large number of placentas (as a doula, midwife assistant, and placenta encapsulationist), I get to see lots of different types of placentas. I have seen all of the variations we are going to discuss, and it never fails to astound me how perfectly that normal, natural, physiological labor and birth is designed, even when confronted with variations like the ones we will be looking at in this post.

PLACENTA

Photo ©2013 Patti Ramos Photography

As I stated in an earlier post, the placenta is a vascular organ. The word placenta comes from the Latin for “cake”. It is the only organ that is grown to be temporary, and sheds itself after its primary use is finished. Placental development and circulation begins 3 weeks after implantation. There is both a fetal and a maternal component to the placenta, so it is actually a product both of conception and the mother’s body as well. The placenta attaches to the baby through the umbilical cord. The cord inserts into the placenta via the chorionic plate. On the fetal side of the placenta, vessels branch out over the surface and divide to form a network covered by a thin layer of cells. On the maternal side, these villous tree structures are grouped into lobules called cotyledons.

CORD

www.houstondoulas.org

As I stated in an earlier post, normally, an umbilical cord has two arteries and one vein and, at term, is around 22-24 inches long. These are all wrapped up in a beautifully plump, purple, rich cord of three. Surrounding, insulating, and protecting everything is a substance called Wharton's Jelly. The arteries return deoxygenated, nutrient-depleted blood from babe to the placenta, where it will be reoxygenated and replenished with vital nutrients to be recirculated through the one vein back to babe again. Wharton's Jelly is a substance that, when exposed to extreme changes in temperature, begins to expand and, as a result, occludes and collapses the vein and arteries... physiologically clamping the cord within an average of 5-20 minutes after birth. Wharton's Jelly contains a great many types of stem cells. The umbilical cord is attached to the placenta 'on the fetal side, usually in the center of the placenta.

VARIATIONS
Some variations to the placenta and cord can include:

www.motheringbymom.com

Marginal, or Battledore, Insertion - whereas the cord usually implants more central to the body of the placenta, Battledore Insertion refers to a marginal (along the edge) insertion to the placenta. (you can also see some infarcts on the placenta body).

Kristin Beckedahl of www.bodywisebirthwise.com.au

Velementous Insertions are a variation where the cord doesn't implant into the body of the placenta at all, but instead implant into the membrane, trailing through them to the placenta. This is more likely to occur in older women, women with diabetes mellitus, and smokers.

www.newrootsbirth.ca

Furcate Insertion refers to the absence of Wharton's Jelly, a protective coating, before it inserts into the placenta.

www.thehumbledoula.wordpress.com

Circummarginate placenta is the term used when a thin ring of fibrous tissue surrounds the placenta on the babies side, like a halo.

Similarly, but not the same, a circumvallate placenta is when the membranes themselves double back over the babies side of the placenta, and the chorionic plate is too small. Unfortunately I don't  have a picture to correspond with this one. 
 

www.newrootsbirth.ca

Succenturiate, or Bi-Lobed, Placenta is when a portion of the placenta is separate from the rest of the placenta, with trailing vessels running between the two through the sac.

www.katiebachand.com

True Knot. Now, this one is just really REALLY cool. In most instances, a true knot is A knot; this one was knotted 5 times. A true knot is when babies movements result in a truly knotted cord.

www.heartoftouch1.com

False Knot refers to a small outgrowth on the cord where the vessels twist through them before realigning in the main cord again.

Placenta Infarction is simply dead tissue. Infarcts result from no blood supply to that particular part ofthe placenta. Small infarcts are expected around the due date, as they show the placenta is aging and baby is due to be born. Large infarcts are associated with hypertension.

 

Calcium Deposits are small hard white spots in the placenta. These can come in 'veins' of calcium or small, rice-like deposits of calcium. They are different from an infarct as they are always white and always firm-to-sharp in consistency. 

RISKS AND REDUCING RISK

Risks of these variations, as well as how to reduce the incidence of risk: 

• Battledore Insertion - The cord is more prone to compromise, which is why it is in the best interest of baby to leave the water intact as long as possible, refrain from the use of labor stimulating drugs and herbs, and refrain from cord traction in the third stage of labor (placenta delivery).
• Velamentous Insertion - There is a definite increase in risk for baby during labor and birth due to the fact that the vessels run, unprotected, through the thin sac. They are at a greater risk for tearing, thrombosis, and compression.  AROM has a higher chance of nicking/tearing through one of the vessels, causing massive hemorrhage, whereas SROM will usually occur at another location other than the vessel implantation site.
• Furcate Insertion - Because they don't have the protection of the Wharton's Jelly, furcate insertions have a higher incidence of thrombosis and tearing. One way to reduce the risk of tearing is to refuse cord traction in the third stage of labor and to keep the bag of water intact as long as possible during labor. 
• Circummarginate placenta -  there is a slight increased risk of placental abruption from circummarginate placenta, but again, can be reduced by not artificially starting or speeding up the process, as well as not forcing the delivery of the placenta in 3rd stage.
  
• Succenturiate Placenta - there is an increased risk of postpartum  hemorrhage and retained placenta, which is why careful and patient management of third stage is very important. Judicious use of fundal pressure, oxytocic medications, and cord traction.
• True Knot - True knots, in and of themselves, do not pose a large risk to baby. Wharton's jelly and the length of the cord will normally allow for minimal risk. When there are other variations, like additional cord anomalies, short cords, induced and augmented labor, or an extremely tight knot, baby may experience heart decelerations and be at risk. The best management is to monitor baby during labor and not try to induce or augment labor.
• False Knot - This varicosity is a non-issue for labor and birth and doesn't affect labor/birth/baby in any way.
• Infarct - Small, medium, and large infarcts are a non-issue. Extremely large ones can result in placental blood flow insufficiency, which can compromise babies health, with or without labor. 
• Calcium Deposits - They can be a result of too much calcium in the diet prenatally (think habitual Tum's consumption), although they are also attributed to smoking in pregnancy or an aging placenta. This does not normally cause any issues in pregnancy and labor/birth unless there is an abnormally large amount of calcification that might restrict blood flow through the placenta or cause the placenta to detach prematurely or in pieces postpartum. If it is going to be an issue that might require induction, other indicators would include lower amniotic fluid, and IUGR, among others. Also, patience with third stage will reduce the risk of the placenta coming out in pieces. 

IN CONCLUSION
 As I said before, I have seen a lot of placentas and a lot of variations. Risks occur rarely when the  body and design of labor and birth is trusted and respected. As birth attendants, we should honor normal, natural, physiological labor and birth in as many cases as possible, so as to minimize risk and assure to not compound any risk already present.

Definitions: 

Thrombosis

AROM - artificial rupture of membranes, or breaking the bag of water purposefully.

SROM - spontaneous rupture of membranes, or the bag of water breaking on it's own.

3rd Stage of labor

Cord Traction - Controlled pulling of the umbilical cord, combined with counterpressure on the fundus of the uterus.

Induce/Induction - start or force to occur.

Augment - speed up.

Compression

Placental Variations

I recently attended a beautiful, straightforward birth center birth. SROM, onset of contractions shortly after ROM. No varying fetal heart tones, high leak of amniotic fluid until mom started feeling an overwhelming urge to push, when the forebag released. After the placenta was birthed (20 minutes later, presenting Dirty Duncan). We found this:

So, why is this doula so excited? This placenta shows how the process really does work when we don't mess with it. This birth could possibly have gone a very different way...

"Marginal (Battledore) insertion. The cord implants along the placental margin rather than central to the body of the placenta"...

"Velementous insertions are not implanted in the body of the placenta but rather traverse the extraplacental membranes"...

"Furcate insertion (insertio funiculi furcata), - the cord vessels lose their protective coating of Warton's Jelly prior to inserting into the body of the placenta."  - Patricia Edmonds, The Placenta: A Guide To Examination

And what might have gone wrong in a more 'managed' birth (i.e. what had a high probability of happening in a hospital setting, or with a more 'managing' midwife)? 

Battedore Insertion... "the cord is less mobile and therefore more prone to compromise. Stresses that may cause complications include the use of labor stimulating drugs and herbs. Forced third stage of the birth i.e. cord traction. The vessels are not exposed, being protected by membranes and surrounded by Warton's Jelly."

Velamentous Insertion... is "definitely associated with increased risks for the baby due to hemorrhage as the unprotected vessels are at much greater risk of thrombosis and tearing. They are also at greater risk for compression. They are more likely to occur with "advanced" maternal age, diabetes mellitus, smoking and SUA (single umbilical artery)" [none of which this mama had]. Additionally, depending on implantation site, AROM has a higher chance of nicking/tearing through one of the vessels, causing massive hemorrhage. AROM is less likely to occur in out-of-hospital birth. 

Furcate insertion (insertio funiculi furcata)... "These exposed vessels are prone to thrombosis and injury". 

AROM, induction, labor stimulation, and active management of 3rd stage is much less likely to occur in out-of-hospital births. Additionally, active management of 3rd stage labor could easily have torn the cord and/or the velamentously inserted vessels prior to complete separation and/or complete delivery of the placenta - resulting in either a hemorrhage or  necessitate a manual extraction of the placenta and/or D&C.

Birth works - if we trust mom and baby, their innate knowledge of what they need, their intuition and nature's design, birth works in nearly all circumstances. And for the rest, thank God for hospitals and skilled surgeons and physicians.

Organ-ic

I have posted quite a few articles in the past about the benefits of placenta consumption. Some examples are:

• Afterbirth, After Birth Pt 1
• Afterbirth, After Birth Pt 2

The response is always the same, ½ of the comments are along the lines of ‘awesome, that is too cool’, while the other ½ of the comments are ‘eeew! That is sooo gross!’.

Some go as far as to say that placenta consumption is cannibalistic.

I call that a knee-jerk reaction. Why are people so concerned about consuming a part of a human body?! You might just think that this here doula has completely lost her mind, but let’s take a look at our own daily habits:

• Do you chew your lip? Guess what, you are consuming your own skin cells
• Are you one of those that suck or chew on their hair? Yup, you're eating your own body. 
• Do you kiss your spouse or partner? Guess what? You are consuming their cells
• Do you chew your cuticles? You are biting off hunks of your own skin tissue
• Do you kiss your children’s hands, faces, or lips? You are ingesting their tissue
• I won't even go into oral sex...

You get the point? Our bodies are continuously sloughing off cells into our immediate environment. We are all considered cannibals if you follow this line of thought, and we are all guilty of consuming ‘gross’ things.

Let’s take it a step further; consumption does not only occur through the mouth/digestive tract. We consume many things through our skin.

If you put lotion on, your skin will absorb the nutrients, toxins, and other ingredients to be integrated into your cells and, as such, your blood stream. The same goes for cosmetics, washes and soaps, and shampoos and conditioners.

So, what does this have to do with the placenta? Many hair and skin products contain human, bovine, and ovine placenta. The ingredients would be listed as amino acids, Estrogen, or even outright placenta.

Yep, that’s right, many of you who are going ‘eew, that’s nasty to consume a human placenta in pill form or in whole form’ have no problem smearing it all over your face, body, and hair!

So, while you might gnaw on your cuticles, kiss your spouse, or coat your body in placenta, far be it from me to suggest consuming an organ that is rich in nutrients, hormones, and antioxidants, able to help your postpartum body heal, give you energy, and increase both your milk supply and milk content.

Rant over.

Afterbirth, After Birth, Part 2

Photo ©2013 Patti Ramos Photography

The placenta is an amazing vascular organ. The word placenta comes from the Latin for “cake”. It is the only organ that is grown to be temporary, and sheds itself after its primary use is finished. Placental development and circulation begins 3 weeks after implantation. There is both a fetal and a maternal component to the placenta, so it is actually a product both of conception and the mother’s body as well.

It is the first bond between mother and baby, the communicative highway to transmitting hormones, nutrients, and blood – in essence, this is the first way in which a mother cares for her baby and that a baby communicates it’s needs to his mother.

It is a fully functional organ at 12 weeks gestation and acts as the baby’s lungs, kidneys, liver, digestive and immune systems. The placenta attaches to the baby through the umbilical cord, which attaches to baby through the abdomen. The umbilical cord inserts into the placenta via the chorionic plate.

Fetal Side

On the fetal side of the placenta, vessels branch out over the surface and divide to form a network covered by a thin layer of cells. The result is the beautiful and sacred shape of the tree of life – scientifically known as villous tree structures. On the maternal side, these villous tree structures are grouped into lobules called cotyledons.

Maternal Side

The amazing placenta also transmits and produces hormones, sending messages advocating fetal demands to the mother’s body and helping to care for and grow the baby while also hiding it from the mother’s body so that the mother’s body doesn’t see baby or placenta as invaders.

The hormones that the placenta creates and releases include:

• Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG) - hCG is the first placental hormone. This hormone is only produced by a woman’s body when she is pregnant. hCG makes sure that the woman continues to produce progesterone and estrogen, two important hormones for keeping a baby in for 9 months. hCG also suppresses the mother’s immunological response that the baby and placenta are foreign objects and reject them.
• Human Placental Lactogen (hPL). This hormone has growth-promoting properties. It promotes mammary gland growth in preparation for lactation in the mother. It also regulates maternal glucose, protein, fat levels so that this is always available to the fetus.
• Estrogen. This ‘woman’s hormone’ contributes to the woman's mammary gland development in preparation for lactation and stimulates uterine growth to accommodate growing fetus.
• Progesterone. This hormone is necessary to maintain endometrial lining of the uterus during pregnancy. This hormone prevents preterm labor by inhibiting contractions.
• Two additional components of the placenta, Neurokinin B (containing phosphocholine molecules) and lymphocytic suppressor cells, help to cloak the placenta and baby from the woman’s immunological system.

It is dark maroon in color and, at full term, the placenta weighs 1/6 of the baby’s weight and covers 1/3 of the inside of the uterus. At the time of birth, as the baby is born out of the womb and the uterus has further to involute, it begins to slough off the placenta from the uterine wall, allowing the placenta to separate and be expelled by contractions. The placenta is usually birthed within 15-30 minutes, but can take up to 2 hours after child birth.

After birth, it can continue to help mom and baby through nourishment, emotional and physical healing, and ceremonial purposing. Cultures throughout time honored the placenta in their own rites and rituals, including consumption, burial, ceremonies, and blessings.

Cultural Customs

Western culture, by and large, regard the placenta as biohazardous waste, something to dispose of or let medical students play with, but it is so much more to other cultures around the world. Whereas our culture looks at it in disgust, other cultures revere it’s purpose and blessing on a babies life.

Among the Navajo Native Americans, it was customary to bury the placenta of a child within the Four Corners of the tribes boundaries. This essentially bound the child to his ancestors and his land. The Maoris of New Zeeland have a similar practice, burying the placenta of a tribe member on their tribe’s soil. In the Maori language, placenta and land share the same name: whenua.

Korean Placenta Burial Marker

Koreans, Cambodians, Malinese, and Balinese people are more cultures that routinely bury the placenta with reverence and symbolism. Cambodians are known to wrap the placenta in banana leaves and keep it with baby for 3 days before ritualistically burying it. In Mali, the placenta is rinsed, dried, and placed in a basket to be buried by the father of the child to ensure a happy and healthy child.

An example of placenta burial can be found with the Balinese people. In Bali, the placenta is considered the baby’s twin and thought to act as the baby’s guardian angel throughout life. As such, it requires special reverence because of its job. The placenta is cleaned and prepared by the father, and buried by the mother. The burial takes place in the yard of the families home, the right side of the main house for a boy and the left side of the main house for a girl. It is placed in a coconut shell, wrapped in white linen, and buried with talismans, songs, prayers, and blessings for a healthy and happy lifetime for the child.

Ari Ari - Balinese Placenta Burial Marker

Some cultures believe that the placenta has its own spirit. The Bolivian Aymara and Quecha people are two such cultures. As such, the placenta is given the burial rites of any other living being. It is washed and buried in a secret, shady place by the father of the child with secret rite. It is thought that, if the ritual is not done properly, the mother or baby can become sick because of it.

Just like the Balinese, many other cultures believe that the placenta is the twin, sibling, or companion of the baby. This is understandable as the placenta and cord is the first physical interaction a baby has and it provides the first emotional and physical contact to the mother that baby has. The Ibo of Nigeria and Ghana view the placenta as the dead twin of the child and give it full burial rites. Malaysians, the Parigi, and the Javanese all believe it is the older sibling that watches over the child and can even communicate with the child before the child learns it’s native language.

The Toba-Bataks believe it is a younger sibling, while native Icelanders and native Australians believe it is a guardian spirit. The Bagada and ancient Egyptians preserved the placenta in order to protect it’s spiritual qualities and, oftentimes, they would hold elaborate ceremonies, including processionals, to honor and protect the properties of the placenta.

Filipina mothers are known to bury the placenta with books, in hopes of a smart child, while the Hmong bury a girl’s placenta under the parent’s bed and a boy’s placenta under the floorboards of the threshold to the house. This practice arises from the belief that, after death, the Hmong will retrace their life’s path, arriving back at life’s door – the place of placental burial.

Placenta Burial

The Kikuyu and other African tribes will bury it with agriculture, believing it will nourish and sustain it’s people, as will the child’s heritage and future. Hawaiians practice a similar rite, believing the burial with a tree will root the child to his heritage, people, and land.

Placenta Pills

The Vietnamese and Chinese people believe in the life-giving forces of the placenta in another way – as being useful in consumption. As such, they are known to make tinctures, teas, broths, and pills out of the placenta. There are many recipes in ancient texts that are supposed to increase the vitality and potency of the placentas properties.

In Korea, it has been practice to burn the placenta and keep the ashes. Then, in times of illness, the ashes are used to make a drink for the child in order to ensure health and longevity. Similarly, in some regions of South America and with some Samoan people, the placenta is burnt, then the ashes are spread on the land of the family so as to ward off evil spirits.

Patience
'Art of Patience'
http://artofpatience.ourprairie.net

More recent ceremonies include lotus birthing, placenta art, and cosmetic use. In France and, until 1994, in Britain, the placenta was used in numerous cosmetic produces such as cold cream and anti-aging products.

Lotus Birthing

Claire Lotus Day began questioning the practice of cutting the cord in 1974, and the lotus birthing practice was born. Other Western women, in a search for reclaiming meaning from the institutionalized practice of Western birth, began making placenta prints as a way to commemorate and remember the transforming power of their child’s pregnancy and birth.

The list goes on and on. The bottom line, there is great room for interpretation, practice, and honor when we consider the amazing physical, emotional, nutritional, and, sometimes, spiritual uses of the placenta even after birth. If you are looking into one of these practices for your own birthing time, there are some things that you should know about preparation and care for your placenta.

Proper Care & Handling of Your Placenta

As soon as possible after the placenta has been birthed, it needs to be placed in a food-grade container (glass or ceramic is best, but double bagged Ziploc will also work), sealed tightly and refrigerated. If the family wants to delay cord cutting, this can be done up to three to four hours later, and then the cord must be severed, and the placenta quickly refrigerated in order to safely ingest the placenta later. Please note that you will be unable to have a lotus birth (leaving the cord attached until it detaches on its own) if you want to safely encapsulate your placenta.

A fresh placenta should be ‘processed’ within 24-48 hours for maximum benefits (this includes encapsulation, consumption, or burial). It can be done up to 7 days later, but will not be as potent. If it is not possible to process the placenta within 48 hours, it should be double bagged in Ziploc freezer bags and frozen. If encapsulating from the frozen state, the placenta should be completely thawed, which takes about 24 hours.

If you are planning a hospital birth, be sure to tell your care provider ahead of time that you are planning on taking your placenta home. You should plan on bringing a cooler with you to the hospital for care and ease of transport from hospital to home. Read more about how to best handle the release of your placenta from the hospital here, and download a hospital liability release form here.

Placental Planting/Burial

The most widely accepted means of ritualistic or symbolic disposal for the placenta is the burial. You can freeze your placenta for as long as you need, some people even wait for the babies first birthday as a commemoration of the event. Other reasons for the ceremony can be the planting of a child’s tree or child’s bush, closure/celebration of the birth, celebration of the end of the lying in period, or a birth healing ritual.

To bury your placenta, dig the right size hole to hold your placenta and bury it alone or with tokens indicative of the commemoration (herbs, dried flowers, ashes from a paper with a blessing or prayer written on it, etc.).

To use it for a tree/flower/bush planting ceremony, again, dig the right sized hold for your placenta. Score the sides of the hole so that the roots of the plant can take hold easier. Place the placenta at the bottom of the hole, cover with about an inch of soil, then place the plant in the hole and fill it on up. As your baby’s placenta breaks down, the plant will be nourished by it. If you choose to grow a fruit tree, the tree will bear fruit that has grown from your baby’s placenta. This fruit can then go on to nourish your family.

Some people add ritual to the ceremony by offering prayers, blessings, or thanks. Some women choose to have other women at the ceremony to offer a blessingway to the new family. Others ‘give up’ their negative feelings toward the child’s birth or a hurt that was done to them during the pregnancy, birth, or postpartum period. Others still will bury it as a symbolic ‘coming home’ of the baby, allowing the babies feet to ‘tramp down’ the dirt that is placed over the placenta.


Placental Art

Placenta prints are a newer, beautiful way to commemorate your child’s birth. Each placenta has a unique print and you can display it as a work of art in your home, knowing that the average person will not know what the print is, as it usually turns out to look like an abstract flower, tree, or heart.

You can make a placenta print with either a fresh or thawed placenta.

Supplies needed:

• Placenta
• Heavy weight art paper or canvas
• Paint (optional)

If you have chosen to use paint, rinse and pat the placenta dry. Then paint the placenta in the colors you have chosen. If you have chosen to use the placentas blood, do nothing to the placenta before printing. Now, simply place the placenta vein side down onto your surface of choice. Press down, and then lift up. Voila! You have made a placenta print. If you chose to use the placenta’s own blood, then you can still use your placenta for placentophagy.

Placentophagy

The benefits of placental consumption include:

• Decrease in baby blues and postpartum depression
• Increase and enrich breast milk
• Increase in energy
• Decrease in lochia, postpartum bleeding
• Decrease iron deficiency
• Decrease insomnia or sleep disorders

The placenta's hormonal make-up is completely unique to the mother. No prescription, vitamin or herbal supplement can do what one placenta pill can. The theory is you are replacing the hormones you lost during the birthing process. Each woman's placenta is unique to her hormonal make-up. Interestingly, the first born male placenta is the most enriched. There are many ways to consume your placenta, including a placenta smoothie (done within the first 2-4 hours after birth), placenta meals, and encapsulation.

The Placenta Smoothie (immediately postpartum)

Supplies Needed:

• Placenta
• Sharp knife
• Blender
• Yogurt (your favorite flavor) or Orange Juice
• Frozen fruit (your favorites – try to include Vit C rich fruits and some red/purple fruits)

Directions:

Cut off one or two 2-inch cubes of placenta. Place them, raw, into the blender. Add your base of choice (either yogurt or orange juice) and your frozen fruits of choice. Blend until smooth. Serve in a tall glass. The dark fruits will disguise the color of the placenta and the taste is just like any other fresh smoothie. It is a great way to start your postpartum recovery and it reduces immediate postpartum blood loss.

In Conclusion

I hope that you have found interest in this article, that it spurred some creative thought and introspective consideration. The placenta truly is an amazing organ, and continues to offer our children and ourselves, as mothers, benefit and harmony. It has the potential to give us pause, reflection, and emotional and physical health. It does not have to go in the trash or the pathology lab – it can give us so much more if we simply give it thought.

For more information:

• Lotus Birth – Sarah J Buckley’s Article
• Placenta Benefits - a great resource for placenta culture, benefits, and support
• Family Colvin had their sister encapsulate her placenta.
• Afterbirth, After Birth – an article on PPD and placentophagy
• Placenta Apothocary – a blog for all things placenta
• Placenta Remedy – a recipe and information on how to make a placenta tincture

You Do What With Your Organs?

I am simply fascinated and excited to see so many women (especially more 'main stream mamas' - it seems to make things more acceptable) DOING with their placentas rather than just DISCARDING.

Small disclaimer, most of these links include pictures, so this is not for the squeamish.

• A couple that I just attended last week took their placenta home to make placenta prints with it and then plant it. If they give permission and take pictures, I will be sure to share. (no pics)
  
• A peer of mine in this area just started her own placenta encapsulation service.
• A funny-guy hosts a placenta party for friends and family (lots of humor and pictures).
• Family Colvin had their sister encapsulate her placenta.
• The Placenta Blog talks about everything to do with placentas
• Mary talks about a placenta consumption experiment and how it affected her overall (no pictures).
• Gifts of the Third Stage talks about cultural customs of the placenta and what benefits it has overall
• La Victoriana linked a great downloadable pdf for printing all about the placenta. A great read.
• And this amazing blogger (heh heh) wrote an article on why someone would consider some of the more 'extreme' placenta issues - just so you don't write them off as quacks before you hear their reasoning.
• The Green House talks both on consumption (no pics) and burying for memorials (PG pics)
• There is even a great book out called Placenta: the Gift of Life (psst, it is on my wish list - hint hint) and has a good book review here.

And finally, the placentophagy experience of one London bloke:



Oh what fun!

Afterbirth, After Birth

"It started with the lentil soup. I looked into the bowl, the light orange swirls of legumes had bits and flecks of ham and mushroom and smoky black beans, and it was sprinkled with just enough salt and pepper. Truly a fine post partum soup for me and my princess, made with love by a friend. It was brought to me in thick hand-made bowl, swirls of blues and green and blacks and shaped like a small cauldron, a potter working out of a barn in Connecticut had crafted it just for me a few years back. I just stared at it, the bowl and the colors and the smells, the hyper-focus of my mind and my eyes sent me swimming somewhere else, far, far from my light flecked bedroom, walls the color of buttercream and soft silky fabric thrown over the window started closing in, eerie and almost Lynchian. The tears welled and I pushed the bowl away, looking up at the barer, staring into his eyes, they looked down at me in offering: I bring nourishment. But I felt nothing. Not an ounce of thanks or grace or contentment. Not anger or sadness. Just blankness, emptied like a vessel that was once full to the brim with anticipation and joy, of grateful waiting. The nothingness was pulled thick like suffocating wooliness over my body, then my throat and finally my head. Emptiness had become the heaviest, scratchiest of weights. And I began to sob.

I don’t want it. Just take it away. I push his hand hard and creamy lentils plopped over the edge of the bowl and onto the wood floor, a small bit splash onto the white down that kept me and Z warm. I rubbed it in with my finger and sob."

You might think this post is about Post Partum Depression - but wait, didn't I say this was about placentas? It's about both.

I have to go there. Why would someone consume their own placenta?

• If you have been to that black, suffocating place, you might consider it...
• If you had watched your life force drain out between your legs, you might consider it...
• If you knew that the water used to make the formula for your baby might kill your little one, you might consider it...

So, before you write it off as cannibalism, New Age-ism, or just plain NASTY, stop and think what your placenta could do for you.

The placenta is an amazing organ, it can stop postpartum bleeding, stave off postpartum depression, and increase milk production.

During pregnancy:
It acts as a filter and a transfer. It receives nutritients, antibodies, hormones and oxygen from mom's blood but passes out the waste. It produces it's own progesterone, somatomammotropin, estrogen, relaxin, and human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG).

In fact, it is so smart that it cloaks itself - it hides itself from the rest of mom's body so that her immune system cannot detect it's presence and attempt to get rid of it.

After Birth:
AS mentioned before, the placenta contains prostaglandin, which stimulates the uterus to contract and involute; in effect cleaning it out. It also contains oxytocin, which causes the smooth muscles around the mammary cells (in breast tissue) to contract and eject milk - promoting lactation.

This same oxytocin, while also being paired with the molecule POEF (Placental Opioid-Enhancing Factor - only found in amniotic fluid and placental tissue) relieves PP discomfort and the incidence of postpartum depression.

POEF reacts to the bodies normal hormonal spikes, which act as a pain reliever and amnesiac naturally, and produces an enhancement of the natural reduction in pain that occurs during birth.

So, next time you hear someone say they are keeping their placenta, going to preserve their placenta, or consume their placenta, perhaps you should swallow your knee-jerk reaction to say how disgusting it is, how weird it is, or how Hippy it is, and instead take a moment to revel in how perfectly our bodies, and our placentas, are made.